What Happens in the Alley Stays in the Alley
by PitFTW
Summary: Prize fic for my contest. Freedom... that word has meant everything to him ever since he was imprisoned. Now that he is free, he shall do everything to stay free. A scream in an alley way, a wounded princess... it has begun again...


**Sorry for the long wait guys, but here's the prize for mine and Golfer's Valentine's Day Contest! Once again, congrats to Cimar, Picho and Pichn, and Pikana! **

**Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. Sue. Me. And. DIE!!!!!**

A cold breeze came to meet him as he stepped out into the bright sunlight, tickling his little nose and ruffling his bright yellow fur. The Pokemon took a few more steps, breathing in the fresh scent of autumn, watching as the leaves gently swirled around him. For once, the Smash Mansion grounds were peaceful. Where fights would normally take place, there was instead a great stillness as the other Smashers went about their day. It did not take long for the Pokemon to stop scenting the air and start on the path away from the mansion and into the city of Smashville.

His large black eyes lit up in excitement as he ambled up the path. It had been months since he was allowed outside the mansion. Months of torment and never ending darkness had followed him for what seemed like forever until he was finally set free. He remembered the moment so well, the squeaking of the rusted key and the gentle rush of cool air as he was let out of his cage at last.

Oh, how great it felt to be free. He relished the feel of the pebbles underneath his feet, his head spinning from the familiar sights and sounds of the city. Here and there he waved to old friends and new faces, happy to share his golden moment with the world. He passed several of his fellow Smashers, including Samus, who had been a wonderful ally during the Subspace War. The bounty huntress raised her hand in greeting as he passed by.

"Pikachu!" she shouted happily, "Finally!"

Pikachu could only manage a grin as he passed by, his heart set on one and only one destination. He passed by many more people, including Metaknight, Marth, Ike Sheik, Mario, and Peach. All of them were quite surprised as he passed by and many of them couldn't believe their eyes. Pikachu was free at last. He was no longer accused of the hideous crime that had occurred so long ago.

With great bounds and leaps he seemed to glide over the immaculate sidewalk as he neared his destination, his heart hammering. He was a hundred yards, fifty yards away. He felt his mouth foam as he made yet another great leap and landed in the waiting arms to two little boys.

"Pikachu!" the both said at once.

"Picho! Pichn!" the Pokemon cried, tears forming in the corner of his eyes, "I've missed you guys so much…"

Pichn couldn't help but laugh as his brother tossed Pikachu high in the air and managed to catch him, just barely. "Us too! Man, how long has it been?"

Picho stopped throwing the yellow mouse Pokemon and gently set him down on the sidewalk. "Three months, I think… Master Hand can be harsh, eh?"

Pikachu nodded glumly, his voice almost choked with tears. "He didn't even give me a fair enough trial… when Pichu started crying in the stands and Raichu started telling everyone that it was all _my_ fault he was crying, it was all over for me…"

"And your sentence would've been _a lot_ longer if it weren't for the other Smashers girl stepping in for you," Pichn remarked, a slight scowl crossing his features, "But that Master Hand really needs to change those rules of his…"

"Either that or he has to stop favoring someone because of a bunch of tears," Picho added, "Seriously, someone starts crying on the stand and since he's a witness for the opposing side, the stupid hand starts favoring the opposing side! That's just not right."

"I know," the Pokemon agreed, "But all evidence pointed to me and we basically had no proof that I was completely innocent…"

"There has to be proof," Pichn said firmly, placing a hand on Pikachu's shoulder, "There always is…"

Before the Pokemon could answer, a scream was heard. This scream was so high, so piercing, it almost deafened all who heard it. Pikachu's natural reflexes went into overdrive as he immediately charged towards the source of the scream, Picho and Pichn following close behind. His long yellow ears twitched and quivered slightly as he tried to sense where the sound came from. His nose twitched as well, picking up a strange, coppery scent. It soon dawned on him what that smell was as he neared his destination: blood. A lot of it, judging from the strength of the smell.

Pikachu looked over his shoulder as Picho and Pichn both began moaning, covering their noses to try to block the horrid stench. They were headed towards an alleyway where there were also a great number of dumpsters. Though Pikachu was able to ignore this scent, his two friends were unable to and thus were rendered quite weak in the knees from the reeling stench of trash and blood.

He finally reached his destination, where a crowd had formed by now. It was indeed the alleyway with all the trash that this scream came from and it did not help that Picho and Pichn were both still reeling from the horrid stench. Many people in the crowd were too busy gaping on in horror to notice the stench, let alone plug their noses. Pikachu pushed and pulled, even resorting to crawling through legs until he reached the front of the crowd. Unfortunately, a great many legs still blocked his view. Frowning slightly, he gently nudged the leg of a nearby male. The young man was rather surprised at first, but quickly looked down and grinned.

"Pikachu!" he exclaimed, "It's been a long time, buddy!"

For a moment, Pikachu merely stared at him, wondering why the man had called him a "buddy". Suddenly, realization dawned on him and a smile broke his features. It really had been an awful long time…

"Cimar!" he answered, "It _has_ been a while, hasn't it?"

Cimar nodded, still grinning in spite of himself. "About three months to be exact. Did they treat you okay?"

The Pokemon shrugged. "Food was really bad, the cage was tiny, and it just smelled bad. Otherwise, I'd say pretty okay. What's going on?"

Cimar's smile immediately melted into a frown. "I think you should see for yourself…"

With that, he stepped aside, allowing the Pokemon passage to the very front of the crowd. Picho and Pichn somehow managed to follow him, their eyes full of confusion. A truly gruesome sight met their eyes, stunning them and seeming to suck all the oxygen in their lungs away.

Blood was splattered everywhere, all over the walls and ground. On the ground itself lay a person, a young woman to be exact. Her long blonde hair was strewn all over her face, covered in sweat and blood. She was lying down in spread eagle position, her clothes covered in muck. Blood poured ceaselessly out of a cut on her throat, running down her neck and onto her beautiful gown and hair. A diadem sat atop her head, though now askew because of her position. Her sapphire eyes were wide open, but empty. Zelda Harkinan, Princess of Hyrule, lay on the ground in this most undignified position, only able to make tiny gurgling sounds out from her throat as her blood became a rushing river of red.

"Oh Arceus…" Pikachu whispered, his heart skipping two beats.

Behind him, Picho took a step back, almost fainting at the sight of the fallen princess. Pichn paled horribly as well, his muscles stiffening at the ghastly sight. Cimar remained as grave as ever, though his face was ghostly white. For a few moments, not a single sound could be heard, save the tiny gurglings of the princess. Then, running footsteps were heard and soon the sounds of people being pushed out of the way.

"Excuse me! Coming through! Hey, watch it! Excuse me, I'm a Smasher! Hero of Time passing through here!"

In a flash of forest green Link was at the front of the crowd, panting slightly from effort. Behind him came Mario and Peach, the pink clad princess grasping onto the plumber's hand for support as she was led rather roughly through the crowd. At the sight of her friend on the ground, Peach collapsed into Mario's arms, the plumber using all his amazing strength to keep both the princess and himself up. Link simply stood there in disbelief, his Master Sword trembling slightly in his hands. His piercing blue eyes darted quickly from Zelda, to Pikachu, to Picho and Pichn, to Zelda again.

"Zelda!" he finally gasped, running forward and gently lifting his princess in his arms.

"Mama mia…" Mario whispered as he ran over as well, still carrying Peach, and used one arm to stop the blood flow while the other cradled the beautiful girl.

Zelda's pale face turned towards Link as he lifted her up, a tiny flash of recognition in her eyes. But this flash died very quickly to be replaced once again by that odd empty look that was so strange on her. Pikachu frowned as he saw this, but he was the only one who did for the others were too busy observing the entire scene to care anything about the princess's eyes.

"Zelda!" Link yelled, tears stinging his eyes, "Who did this to you? Tell me! I'll get them for what they've done! Please, who did this to you?"

Zelda weakly raised her gloved arm, her pointer finger lifting ever so slightly to point. One by one, every eye in the crowd directed itself to the direction where she pointed. Many gasped, some cried out, Link's eyes blazed with anger.

Zelda was pointing at Pikachu.


End file.
